Stories of
American Heroes -
Brought to you from the "Home of Heroes" - Pueblo, Colorado

Nelson Vogel Brittin

TAPS

Fading light dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky,
Gleaming bright.
From afar drawing nigh,
Falls the night.

Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, From the hills,
From the sky.
All is well, safely rest,
God is nigh.

Then good night, Peaceful night,
Till the light of the dawn
Shineth bright,
God is near, do not fear,
Friend, good night.

Beverly National Cemetery
OS-2

Born:October 31, 1920 at Audubon, NJ

Entered
Service in the US Army from Audubon, NJ

Earned The Medal of Honor During the Korean War For heroism
March 07, 1951 at Yonggong-ni, Korea

Died:March
07, 1951 at the age of 30

Sergeant First
Class Brittin volunteered to lead his squad up a hill against
murderous fire from the enemy and, in the face of withering fire
and bursting shells, tossed a grenade at the nearest enemy
position. On returning to his squad he was knocked down and
wounded by an enemy grenade. Refusing medical attention, he
replenished his supply of grenades and returned, hurling
grenades into hostile positions and shooting the enemy as they
fled. When his weapon jammed, he leaped into a foxhole and
killed the occupants with his bayonet and the butt of his rifle.
He continued to wipe out foxholes and, noting that his squad had
been pinned down, rushed to the rear of a machinegun position,
threw a grenade into the nest, and ran around to its front,
where he killed all 3 occupants with his rifle. Less than 100
yards up the hill his squad again came under vicious fire from
another camouflaged, sandbagged, machinegun nest well-flanked by
supporting riflemen. Sergeant First Class Brittin again charged
this new position in an aggressive endeavor to silence this
remaining obstacle and ran directly into a burst of automatic
fire which killed him instantly. In his sustained and driving
action, he had killed 20 enemy soldiers and destroyed 4
automatic weapons.